The Spymaster's Daughter
by Margaret McQuerry
Summary: Eleni Crow was kidnapped at age one, at the same time Eleni Garland was born. When the truth comes, how is she going to take it? Will she go to the aid of her family? Or shrug it off?
1. Prologue

**THE MISTRESS OF THE CROWS: BOOK ONE**

**THE SPYMASTER'S DAUGHTER**

_Prologue _

"Can you find her a good home?" A woman, blond-brown hair tucked away in a brown hood, asked the woman standing in front of her. The hooded woman had a sleeping baby in her arms. The woman she spoke to have graying curls, though she looked young for them.

"I can, and I will." The curled haired lady answered softly, reaching out for the child. The mother seemed reluctant to give up her child, but when a single tear drop fell to the child's cheek, she put the child in her companion's arms.

"Be good, my little crow." The mother said tears in her eyes. "Good bye." She whispered softly before sweeping herself out of the room in tears. The curled haired lady was startled, but came over it in a few second's time. As they walked to the backway out, the lady looked over her shoulder to see in the little girl's mother had returned. No one was in sight.

"Off we go!" She said brightly to the cooing babe. "I have the perfect home for you." She smiled warmly as the child giggled.


	2. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

The Swamp

She rowed her wooden raft slowly down the swampy river. Her dark brown hair reached her elbows, and her black-green eyes were full of suspicion. Both her shirt, and breeches were covered in muck. Everything was quiet, and still, which added to her suspicion of the swamped land. Stopping in mid-row, she listened. She heard nothing. No animals, no fish, and no wind that had been cooling her for the last hour or so. There was nothing.

The silence was suddenly broken. Before she could react a disgusting muck thing, which must have been something's hand, grabbed a hold of her oar. She gasped, and let go of it in panic. Cold swept over her in a seconds grace. She had fallen in the murky water. Opening her eyes the muddy water stung them as she pushed herself to the surface, gasping for air.

Hoisting herself half of the way onto the raft she saw that the thing that had startled her was gone. As she lifted right leg out of the water she felt something muddy grab a hold of her left. She hung onto the raft's ropes for dear life as the thing tried to pull her into the depths Of the murky water. The raft flipped over as the thing pulled her down. She was trapped…

**April 3rd, 480 H.E.**

**Garland Estates, Tyra**

Eleni, aged 15 years, walked, sopping wet with mud, and water, in the front door. She stood in the doorway, wringing out her hair of the water that had soaked it.

"Eleni? Is that you?" An older woman called from the garden on the other side of the house. Eleni rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it's me mother." She called in a light, and airy voice. Stepping in the doorway there was a squishing noise as she walked.

"Come here, dear! Aunt Rose is here!" Eleni's mother, Pearl, called, stepping into the doorway to the garden. Eleni could see her pink dress without sharpening her Sight.

"After I clean up!" Eleni yelled, stepping onto the first steps of the stairs. She could hear her aunt's grunt of annoyance as it almost smashed the mirrors.

"No, Eleni, NOW!" Pearl yelled in a demanding voice that seemed very different from her previous flowery voice. Eleni rolled her eyes, and sighed impatiently. She took her foot from the step, and walked to the doorway. Her mother, and aunt sat drinking tea at a clothed table. Pearl, blonde hair to the low of her back, blue eye's bulging gasped. Rose's pinned up blonde hair, and blue eyes looked just as Pearl's had.

"Now may I clean up?" Eleni asked, examining the dirt under her nails. Her mother nodded, still in shock. Eleni muttered her thanks, and went at a run to the stairs. She stopped at the bottom. Her father was standing in shock at the door. "Father?" Eleni asked turning to face him. He looked her over, and then chuckled.

"And I thought you'd have gotten over playing in the swamps by now…" He said. Short wispy sandy hair, and grey eyes full of humour. He was a rather short, and lanky man, standing only at Eleni's eyes. Not that she was tall, she was normal sized, maybe a bit on the short side, but it wasn't too noticeable

"Yeah right! And Mithros will become a peace talker!" Eleni said rushing to give her father a hug. When they let go her father shook his head, having to lean back a bit to see her eye-to-eye.

"Oh ho! Won't that be a miracle all it's own!" He laughed.

"Well I'm going to clean up, mother's with aunt Rose in the garden." Eleni said stepping back onto the steps. Her father was starting to walk toward the garden door, but quickly turned around when she mentioned her aunt Rose.

"I -uh- should clean up as well…" He said tiptoeing to the bottom of the stairs. Eleni smiled. It's just like him to avoid Rose as long as he can, she thought, who wouldn't?

"Silas! Is that you?" Pearl called from the garden. Silas, Eleni's father, cursed, and ran up the stairs as Pearl came around the corner. Luckily for him, Silas was out of sight. Pearl frowned. "Is your father home?" She asked looking at Eleni.

"Not that I know of." Eleni said with ease, she was a seasoned liar. Her father had once said she could fool the Gods. Eleni doubted that, she was just a teenager that had been a natural liar.

"Oh, well go clean, you're as dirty as a crow!" Pearl said disgusted, and left. Eleni stood there for a moment. She didn't like that comment about crows being dirty, and she wasn't sure why. Sighing she shrugged, and walked up to her room. It was plain. Stonewalls, wood floors, clean oak desk, and plain bed.

Maybe I'm growing fond of that flock of crows out in Swamp Bend? She thought going into her private cleaning room. A wash bin was waiting for her, full of warm water. The maids had heard she had come home, and automatically put washing water in her room. As Eleni cleaned the Swamp mud from her hair she thought about the day when the maids wouldn't have to worry about putting water in her room for washing… the day when she'd become a _real_ lady. One that was a daughter of a merchant, one that wore dresses, one that would marry someone with social statue, someone with _money_.

Once she was clean, and wearing a new shirt, and breeches she went down stairs, and into the flourishing garden. All sorts of bushes, flowers, and trees were there. Beautiful. Perfect. Or at least everything seemed perfect to Eleni, before she saw her mother, and aunt.

Aunt Rose was a stately looking woman with blonde hair pinned up, and icy blue eyes. She wasn't old looking though. Rose looked as fresh as a daisy. Her thin lips tightened at the sight of Eleni. Pearl looked up from her tea when she saw her elder sister look to the doorway. Eleni wasn't shocked by her mother wincing at her choice of clothes. Pearl look just like her sister, with pinned up blonde hair, and clear blue eyes. She looked older for her age, as if she was the elder sister of Rose.

Eleni sat down at the small table. Rose shifted in her seat uncomfortably, as if a young woman wearing a boy's clothes was insane. "So, Eleni, how many suitors have you now?" Rose asked spinning the last drops of tea in her cup.

Pearl almost spit out her tea in shock. Eleni just raised an eyebrow. "None, why?" She said not surprised at the question. Rose had it into her head that anyone as strange as Eleni could never get married, and she was trying to prove herself. So far she was doing just that.

"Oh no reason, just wondering…" Rose waved her and in the air as if that would waft the subject away… for now. Pearl had looked a bit guilty about Eleni not having any suitors, as if she was reason that Eleni was a dishelved, swamp rafting, tom-boy. "Where is Silas these days, Pearl?" Though the subject had passed Eleni still couldn't help but think about suitors.

She had never had a suitor. She was fifteen, and had no boys courting her. None at all. They frowned on her, and laughed when she made comments. The other merchant's daughter's had their hands full with suitors, why didn't she? Why was she so different? Because you just are, the sensible part of her said.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

_The Beginning_

**April 7th, 480 H.E.**

**Swamp Bend, Tyra**

Eleni rowed slowly, like she had a few days before. The crows circled overhead. Frowning, she was wearing a white shirt, tanned breeches, and an old pair of boots. The crows… she was reminded of her strange reaction to the comment about crows being dirty. Why did she dislike it?

She held out her hand up, and in front of her. If a crow lands on my hand, she thought, I've gone mad. Before long a crow landed on her index finger, and a few seconds later almost the whole flock had found places to perch on her. Eleni sighed. "Thanks guys, now I know I _am_ mad." The crows cawed as if saying 'We know.'

She shook her hand to dislodge the clinging crows, but they did not let go. She shook her hand much more violently, but the crows would not let up. Sighing, she knew what she had to do. Sucking in a deep breath, she plunged into the depths of the swamp. The crows cawed in annoyance, and fled at the icy impact. The icy cold water quickly soaked her clothes, hair, and skin.

Hoping the crows were long gone, Eleni shoved herself though the surface of the water, gasping for air. The crows flew back to perch on the top of her head. The others were on the raft. She sighed; she'd have claw marks on her scalp soon. She hoisted herself up onto the raft without trouble, though a few crows squawked in protest to having their feathers soaked by the cold water.

As she wringed out her hair she added another thing to her growing list of differences between her, and her parents. Mithros, she thought looking over the list in her mind, there isn't one thing I have in common with either of them! "Do you know why I'm not anything like my parents?" She asked the crow on her hand. It squawked in reply. "Not very helpful, are you?" It squawked again.

Eleni sighed as she rowed to land just as the sun began to finish its daily route through the sky. When she had the land in perfect sight she stopped in mid-row. Why is she…? Eleni thought staring at the woman standing on the land.

"Good evening, Eleni." Pearl said with a false smile. Eleni raised an eyebrow as her raft reached land.

"Ma?" She said squinting to see if her vision was bad. Pearl stepped onto the raft, and grimaced as the crows squawked. She kneeled to be eye-to-eye with her daughter.

"I want to go to your favourite spot in this fil-… this swamp…" She said. Eleni shrugged, and rowed them out to the middle of the swamp, where crows that hadn't come down to perch flew overhead.

"What's wrong?" She said softly to her mother. Pearl sighed.

"Eleni, I have… I have something to tell you…" Pearl took in a deep breath. Eleni raised an eyebrow. Her mother overreacting was normal, but it was strange for her to come all the way out to the swamp to do it.

The swamp suddenly became silent; the trees were still, the wind quiet, the crows still as statues. Even Eleni found herself leaning forward to hear better, "Dear sweet, lovely Eleni…" her mother began. Thoughts raced through Eleni's head, but she had never, _never_ even suspected what came out of her mother's mouth to be true… Pearl took Eleni's hand in hers, and patted it lightly. "I am not your mother, and Silas is not your father." She gulped, and her voice seemed to be failing her. She avoided Eleni's eyes.

"What?" Eleni asked quietly, unsure of what she had just heard. She didn't even realize the watering feeling in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Eleni." Pearl said softly, as her 'daughter' stared in shock at her. When her senses returned, Eleni ripped her hand from the woman she had thought to be her mother's hands, and scooted to the far end of the raft.

"I don't understand." Eleni choked as tears streamed down her face. Why was her mother saying this? Why didn't she want her?

Pearl looked at the darkening sky. "It's time for supper." She said ignoring Eleni's confusion. Eleni, thoughts whirling down a drain, didn't move. As the night came on, they sat in silence… Finally Pearl took up the oar, and rowed them to shore.

After Pearl had gone back to the house, and the sun was long gone, Eleni stood up, wobbling, and walked back to the house with the crows still following, and perching on her. Her mother's words had felt like a slap in the face. A painful slap, the kind done with the back of your hand.

§§†§§†§§†§§

_Eleni was dreaming. The room had sunlight pouring in the windows although the sun had fallen below the mountains long past. It was a large pavilion house. Clouds seemed to be among the ceiling beams. Jewellery dangled along all of the walls. Pillows were strewn all over the room, upon gaudy rugs._

"_Hello?" She called loudly as the crows that had been napping squawked in annoyance of being awoken. "Sorry." She muttered. A man laughed. She whipped around to face him. He had salt, and pepper hair, and a trimmed beard, a few rings were on his fingers, and necklaces on his throat. "Who are you?"_

"_Me? No one. The question is who are you?" He said in a crisp, and friendly voice. Eleni raised an eyebrow._

"_This is my dream, you should already know who I am." She said folding her arms across her chest. As the man chuckled, she turned on her sight. She quickly turned it off with a wince; he had the white-hot blaze of a god. "Where am I?"_

"_You said this was your dream, you should know. This is my home, in the Divine Realms." He added when she frowned. "What do you think? Too flashy?"_

"_Not really." She answered though the room was quite flashy, but for some reason she had always liked flashy things._

"_Good. Now it's time to wake up." He gave her a crooked smile._

Eleni opened her eyes. It was dawn. A crow was perched on her bedside table. She raised an eyebrow at it. The crow gave what she assumed to be a bird-shrug with its wings. "Fine, don't tell poor little me anything." She muttered throwing her covers off of herself to get up.


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

_The Visitor_

Eleni stood, surprisingly patiently, in front of the door of her room. She had been forced into a velvet green dress that she was sweating in so much she thought she'd pass out soon. Her so-called parents had sent a servant to tell Eleni what to wear. Though they hadn't spoken to her she could guess what her 'parents' were thinking. "Let's just torture her a bit more, Silas!" She could almost hear the words form on her mother- no… _Pearl_'s lips. Eleni clenched her teeth at the thought.

Did they get me from an orphanage just to torture me in dresses, and insult my entire being! She thought as a head of a blond, Scanran, maid stuck her head in the crack of the door to tell her that the Master, and Mistress wished for her to come to the dinning room. Eleni nodded, and pushed past the maid a little ruder than intended.

When finally stomping into the dinning room she found not only her fake-parents waiting, but also a woman with greying curls, and wearing breeches, a white shirt with a blue tunic. Eleni gave the woman a questioning glance, then, in a very un-lady like fashion, plopped into her seat.

"Eleni, sit up straight!" Rose scowled as she walked in behind her. Eleni rolled her eyes, and leaned back in her wooden chair, lifting the forepaws off the marble floor. Rose scowled a bit harder, and came up behind her. Eleni, who was having a ball pissing her off, something she couldn't have done when she thought Rose was her aunt, didn't know Rose was behind her until she slammed backwards into the floor.

"Gods that hurt…" She muttered, clutching her head, and getting up. Her head was throbbing. Why did Pearl have to have _marble _flooring in the dinning room? She asked groaning inside, and outside. Because she's a normal woman, her sensible self answered. She made a mental note to drink lots of spirits soon to get Miss Sensible to stuff it.

"Good! Now sit up straight! You're a young lady, not a commoner!" Rose scowled, sitting down. Eleni scoffed.

"How do you know that I'm not a commoner? I mean, for all anyone knows I could have been a slave!" Eleni sat back in her seat. The unknown woman hadn't said anything, but Eleni could tell that Miss Curly Grey was shaking with silent laughter. "And who are _you_? What's so funny, I thought hitting your head on marble was _bad_!" Eleni said scowling. The woman imeadately stopped, and stared at Eleni.

"You do have a temper, don't you?" The woman said as Eleni raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were as hot-headed as your grandmother." Eleni blinked at this. Her _what_!

"My _what_?" She voiced the thought. She didn't have any grandmothers! She was an orphan!

"Your grandmother. She's a friend of mine, hot-tempered." The woman answered simply. Eleni blinked again. She had a grandmother! If she had a grandmother, she might have parents! Although the thought had reached her head it hadn't reached her mouth yet.

"I don't have any hot-headed grandmothers, Ma's is quiet, and Da's is dead." She blurted out. The woman raised an eyebrow, and turned to a shocked Pearl.

"I thought you said you told her about her parents?"

"Well… I only told her that I wasn't her mother…" Pearl looked like an old grandmother who had been caught eating something that she wasn't suppose to, but Miss Curly Grey smiled.

"Good, we shouldn't mess up her life." She then turned back to Eleni. "I'm Daine by the way, it's a pleasure to meet you, Eleni." Daine held out her hand. Eleni didn't even glance at it before getting to her point.

"Who are my parents?"

"I can't tell you, not yet at least." Daine answered, putting her hand down. Eleni took in a deep breath.

"Who are my parents?" She repeated. Daine didn't answer. "Fine, don't tell me." Eleni said standing up just as food was being brought in. Nobody protested as she walked out of the room. "But I swear on my raft that I will get an answer out of you yet, Miss Curly Grey." She muttered mixed between happiness that she had parents, and anger that she didn't know who her parents were.

A crow was perched on her bedside table when she came out of the privy. "Do you have answers?" She asked the crow. It squawked, she could almost hear the words '_Yes, but I won't tell you' _hidden within the noise. Eleni shrugged, and climbed into bed. "Fine, leave me in the dark." She sighed blowing out her candle, leaving the room basking in the light from the moon.


End file.
